February Gloom
by Holly Wills
Summary: She found him when he didn't want to be found, and, suddenly, he wasn't so sure anymore. Phoenix/Iris. Post-AJ. One-shot.


It was a cool February morning in the City of Angels. Water droplets hung on every leaf and flower. The streets were still slick with the rain that fell earlier that morning. Most of the passers-by had colorful umbrellas tucked under their arms, ready for the fall.

Apollo Justice, the understudy of the once-great defense attorney Phoenix Wright, drew his coat tighter (which was kind of hard to do when you're carrying two bags of groceries). Chilly winds had begun to blow from the west, and he never really liked the frigid weather much. Sometimes, during winter, he'd catch a cold that would last for weeks on end. Not even chicken noodle soup and rest could save him from that misery. It was one of the banes of his life - one of many, actually.

Beside him, Trucy - Mr. Wright's adopted daughter - was zipping her jacket shut and wearing her gloves. She must not like the cold too, Justice thought. Who liked it anyway? Who, in their right mind, would prefer to stay outside on a snowy day than stay inside beside the fireplace, sipping hot chocolate and spending time with friends and family? He didn't think there was anyone who would.

"We need to get you a new coat, don't we, Trucy?" came Mr. Wright's laid-back voice from behind them. "That one's looking just a wee bit too small for you."

"I'm fine with this one, Daddy!" she replied, then she turned to face him, pouting. "_You_'re the one who needs a new jacket. You've been wearing that one for years and it's getting shabby! You agree, don't you, Polly?"

"Huh?" Apollo blinked once, twice. "Um, yeah, sure. Mr. Wright, Trucy has a point. I think you should-"

"But I like this one just fine."

"Daddy, don't be such a cheapskate. I can live without magic swords and a top hat, you know? It's time you do something for yourself. You've done so much for me and Polly, you hardly have time for yourself!"

Apollo nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Wright. Listen to the voice of reason sometimes."

"Well, if you kids are so insistent..." the usually stoic and unreadable face broke into a grin. "I don't see why not. As long as I don't have to spend my savings, I'm fine with it. Huh, Apollo?"

"Wh-what? Why are you looking at me that way, Mr. Wright? Y-you know I-"

Phoenix tapped the boy on the shoulder lightly. "I was just kidding, Apollo. You don't have to be that serious all the time. We're not in court, you know? Lighten up a bit."

Apollo shrugged and looked down at the wet pavement, kicking a loose pebble. The thing is, most of the time, he couldn't tell whether Mr. Wright was joking or not. It was hard to tell with his demeanor and his penchant for using sarcasm. He wondered how Trucy could tell. Perhaps, after spending seven years with him, she had learned to master her adoptive father's expressions. Or maybe it was just the bond between them - unshakable after all that they have gone through.

Now the father and daughter were laughing at him. Good god, he thought, when will they ever stop picking on me? He started to walk faster.

At that moment, a voice called out to them. It was gentle, but it was not hard to hear in the solitude of that day. There were hardly any cars in the street and the strangers walking with them were speaking in hushed tones. It was female, too, and something clicked inside his head - something he could not quite grasp yet. Apollo stopped and turned around to look, curious as to who it could be.

A lady with long, black hair was standing five feet away from them. She was wearing a white dress inside her thigh-length cream coat, stockings, and old winter boots. A small smile was playing on her lips and her cheeks were tinged with pink. She was beautiful, in the midst of that dreary February day. She was looking, rather intently, at Mr. Wright, whose gaze was lowered. Apollo had never seen her before and, judging from her puzzled expression, it was the same with Trucy.

"Mr. Wright?" the woman called out again, softer this time.

Before they could ask any questions, Mr. Wright pushed Apollo and Trucy homeward. "The two of you go on ahead," he said in a rather shaky voice. "I'll follow you, after a while. I have... a little business to take care of."

"But Daddy-!"

"Not now, Trucy." He smiled and patted his daughter on the shoulder. "You can ask the questions later, alright?"

Trucy nodded, a little apprehensively. "Okay... Take care of yourself, Daddy. Polly and I will head on home now. Let's go..." She placed a hand on Apollo's shoulder and the two of them started to walk away.

* * *

><p>Phoenix watched them leave. Trucy was growing up too fast, he thought. She was almost as tall as Apollo. The boys at school were beginning to take a liking to her, or at least that's what one of the mothers said. All too soon she'll be gone and then he'll have nothing left...<p>

When the two were well out of sight, he turned around and walked toward her, the woman who should not see him like this. At any rate, she already had and there was nothing he could do but face it head on.

For years, he had been dreading this very moment when finally _she_ would know, but he imagined it nonetheless. He didn't know what would be waiting for him once he got within inches of her. A slap was the most likely thing he would receive, he thought, but it would be a welcome action. He deserved that for being such an ignorant bastard.

The smile had gone out of her dainty features. In all the time they had not seen each other, she was still the same woman. Hardly anything changed about her. Heh, he couldn't expect anything less. She would always be beautiful.

He stopped right in front of her. Now that he was there, he was at a loss for words. He couldn't even begin to utter her name.

She said his name, again, softly, like a gentle breeze in a summer day. She raised her hand, but not to strike. Instead, she placed it on his cheek. Then she smiled, and tears sprung up on her eyes. They slowly made their way down her cheek, landing on the lapel of her coat.

"I'm... sorry..." he mumbled, slowly averting his eyes. "I've made you cry again..."

"No, no, don't be. I'm just..." she lowered her hand and inserted it in her coat pocket. "I'm just really glad to see you again. Seven years... is a long time."

He smiled cryptically. "I'm sorry for that one, too. I should have said something; You deserved that much..."

Silence.

Neither of them really knew what to say or do. It was so awkward, and yet it felt good to see someone you've only seen in your dreams for a long time. Both of them had imagined what it would be like, but imaginings hardly equate to reality. It was always difficult to speak in real life; words don't come out as best as you want them to and, more often than not, words just can't capture the strong feelings we have inside of us.

"Do you want to talk somewhere else?" he asked. "It's getting cold in here."

She nodded, and he led the way to a quiet restaurant a few blocks away. They walked side by side, but they did not talk or touch. It seemed like an invisible barrier was between them, and they still hadn't figured out how to break it.

* * *

><p>"So, how are you doing?" she asked, setting her cup down on the table.<p>

Phoenix turned to look at her. "Hm?" He had been watching the cars driving down the road ever since they came in. He would gladly look at anything else but her. "I could do better, but so far I'm fine. You?"

"I'm still the same. Life in there is rather stationary, if you remember. This is one of the rare occasions I get to leave."

"Of course, I..." he looked at his hands. "I remember it well."

How could he ever forget? _That_ case will forever be etched in his memories. It was, after all, the last one he had until Zak Gramarye's trial.

"That time..." she began, almost wistfully. "I thought I finally had a chance..."

He looked up, trying to read the expression in her eyes. "A chance?"

"I really tried to forget all about you. Those six months we had were short, but the memories they left are forever... It wasn't easy, and seven years ago I was about to give up on you. When you stepped into that temple, I just... I thought... I thought we could still..."

He knew what was coming, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it or not. Bridges have been burned, and he had tried his best to forget. But memories resurface time and again; you can never completely forget.

"I thought we still had a chance... But I was wrong, wasn't I? All this time, I was just chasing a fantasy - an illusion that could never come true. We lived in two different worlds, and I felt that even if you somehow managed to forgive me..." She seemed to be on the brink of tears, but she braced herself. "You would never look at me _that_ way. I kept my hopes too high. I should have stopped myself. I should have drawn the line. I-"

"Iris." He said her name with warmth and reverence - a name he had not spoken in a long time, not even to Trucy. "Iris... Iris, no. Don't blame yourself. I should be the one to blame. I was the one who left. Believe it or not, I..." He looked at her, and his usually stoic gaze softened. "I felt the same."

He laughed, a sad and forced one. "I was such a coward. I wasn't thinking straight. I should have told you, but I was afraid... of a lot of things. I didn't think you'd have me - a pathetic man, now even made more pathetic after _that_ incident. I thought you didn't deserve me, because you deserved better - a man who could take care of you more than I could ever do. You deserved someone more honest, more courageous, more special... Someone I could never be."

"Mr. Wright..."

"After all..." he looked out of the window - at the clouded sky. "You never really deserved me."

"But-"

"Iris, if I had told you, or anyone else for that matter, about my disbarment, I would have asked you to forget me."

She looked down at her lap. "And now," she whispered. "Would you still say the same?"

"I... I don't know..." He smiled. "I really don't know..."

A lot of things have changed, he thought. He didn't know if he could go back to that world. For seven long years, revenge - for him and for Trucy - had fueled his will; it kept him going. Now that everything was finished, he really had no idea what to do. Going back to law was an option, and so was continuing his current occupation. Settling down was something he had never really considered.

Trucy was always asking if he was getting her a new mommy, but he had never thought about it seriously. He evaded her queries all the time, thinking that it was just another childish game she'll eventually forget. As the years drew by, the questions did get fewer and farther apart. It seemed like she was finally ready to accept that her Daddy has no intention of doing that. But now...

"I'd love to talk more," he said, looking at the clock on the wall. "But I have to be somewhere else. It was good to see you, Iris."

He didn't know if he was just trying to run away, or if he really needed to go; nothing seemed so definite now. He stood up, slowly. She watched him with her eyes, eyes that said "I'll keep hoping," "I'll keep the faith," and eyes that said "I'll never forget" - eyes he may never see again.

"Iris..." He said, his back to her. "I loved you. I really did. I..." He tilted his head to look at her, a mournful expression on his face. "I think I still do."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: Thank you for taking the time to read the story! This is my first _Ace Attorney_ fan fiction. I've written mostly _Naruto_ stuff and I'm not sure if I got their characters right. Constructive criticism is very much welcome and is highly encouraged.


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